Communication
by Vicious Grin
Summary: AU. Mikasa is a 30-something year old who happens to be deaf. A collection of one-shots centered around her trying to navigate her way through life and the people she meets along the way.
1. Mint Tea and Post-Its

**A/N:** This was my response to an anon's prompt on tumblr (whether they were asking for it or not) in regards to my own deaf!Mikasa headcanon. It's been floating around for a while, but I finally worked up enough nerve to edit it. Reviews are most welcome. :)

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><p>Mikasa isn't sure when the first note appeared on her desk, but it was clearly from someone who knew her - or at least knew she preferred her tea hot and plain.<p>

_Mint. No added sugar or honey. You like that, right? You might want to start bringing your own packets. Erwin's been making cutbacks again. –L_

Just "L." That's how the yellow post-its are always signed.

She'd been getting them a little over a week now, maybe longer; a small cup of tea sitting over each square note hiding little inconsequential messages. By the third day she had begun writing back, mainly to say 'thank you,' and definitely not to get to know this person better. It wasn't her fault that under every steaming paper cup, L revealed all those tidbits that piqued her curiosity. Little by little, she learned that they had worked for that same company five years before she was hired, they preferred Chopin over Bach, and their board game of choice was chess - even if it was considered "a game for pretentious assholes."

At first she wanted to find out who this L really was - even thought about showing the notes to a few of her coworkers - but thought better of it. Whoever this person was obviously didn't want to reveal himself (herself?) or his (her?) messages, which was fine with Mikasa. L was her secret to keep. So she squirreled each tiny note away under the false bottom of her desk drawer, away from prying eyes and curious glances.

A scratchy throat had her feeling particularly thirsty one Friday -probably the onset of a cold- and immediately forced her to wander to break room to refill her cup the minute she had downed the first one. Her head was pounding that morning and the sudden drop in blood pressure had her wobbly the moment she stood. Not good.

She had completely forgotten L's advice to bring her own tea packets (she never actually had to supply her own the past few weeks), and could have cried the moment she opened the cupboards and found nothing but instant coffee and straw stirrers. At least Erwin hadn't taken their hot water away. It would suffice and she would endure.

There was a small, unopened, packet of mint tea and a box of decongestant pills waiting for her when she returned to her desk.

_You don't look good today. You should go home and rest. –L_

If this were any other day - or any other person, really - Mikasa would have been uncomfortable knowing someone in her office was watching her at that very moment. She might have even considered it stalking. Instead, through her congested haze, she felt a rare burst of determination wash through her and responded with her own message in return – something more than a simple, 'thank you,' or 'what's your favorite [insert random interest here],' that wouldn't be answered until the next morning.

_Who are you and why are you being so nice? –Mikasa_

She poked her head from the top of her cubicle, checking to see if anyone was watching, before she clocked out to go on an early lunch. Leaving early for the day was an appealing thought, but she still had one last meeting to sit through before she could even consider starting her weekend a few hours before everyone else. Besides, if L was watching her like she thought he (she?) was, she would have a response waiting for her by the time she returned from her lunch.

As expected, when she came back one hour later, she had a new post-it waiting for her beside her keyboard.

_Just someone who is shit at saying things out loud. –L_

She smiled and wrote out a quick response before Historia, her assistant, tapped her shoulder, signaling her last meeting for the day was about to start.

_That makes two of us. I still want to know who you are. Face to face. –Mikasa_

There was no guarantee L would even see her note while she was gone. It was a department-wide meeting, after all. Still, she could hope. It would get her through the next couple hours.

Thankfully he (she?) did, and didn't seem too off-put by Mikasa's insistence on meeting face-to-face.

_First floor by the elevators. 5:30. Don't get your hopes up. –L_

Her headache vanished, but the will to complete any paperwork was completely gone.

She spent her last hour of work playing Solitaire on her phone, trying her hardest not to watch the minute hands on the clock tick slowly away.

By 5:15, Mikasa couldn't take it any longer and cleared her desk for the weekend. She waved goodbye to Historia and practically ran to the elevators down the hall. By 5:20, she had situated herself in one of the small, plush, waiting chairs by the elevators in the lobby of the first floor. By 5:25, she had begun to think that maybe this was a bad idea. She liked the thought of L on paper and had no idea what to expect once she finally saw the person. It could end in disaster.

By 5:29, she decided to make a run for it. She didn't get far.

The elevator doors opened and out walked a black-haired man maybe four inches shorter than her. He had what looked like a perpetual scowl on his face, but the moment he locked eyes with Mikasa, she could have sworn she saw a small smirk grace his lips.

He wasn't unattractive, not in the slightest, but apparently he was unaware of her inability to actually hear him.

His lips moved, then stopped moving, and he was looking at her as if waiting for a response. After a few moments the smirk faded and the scowl was back. He turned to leave.

Mikasa did the only thing she could think to do and slapped his arm.

She knew he said something along the lines of, "What the fuck?" Those lip movements weren't hard to decipher.

She pointed to her ears repeatedly, hoping he would get the hint.

His lips formed an 'O' shape in understanding before he said something, again, unaware she couldn't actually hear him.

She made a face and pointed to her ears again, desperately hoping he understood what she was trying to tell him.

He looked at her quizzically for a moment before his cheeks finally turned red from embarrassment. He held up a finger, asking for a moment, while he reached into his shoulder bag for a small legal notepad.

_Sorry. I didn't know you were the deaf employee Erwin is always talking about. He speaks highly of you, if you wanted to know._

Mikasa smiled and nodded her head. "Name?" She asked, hoping he wouldn't laugh at her guttural pronunciation.

_Levi._

She finger-spelled it out for him and watched as he carefully repeated her signs. His pinky was cute.

Levi put his notepad down and held both his hands out for a moment before finally signing, 'You… want… drink… with me?'

His signing was clumsy and endearing and there was no way she was going turn that down. She would be doing the Deaf community a great disservice if she allowed him to go out into the world attempting to speak to other people with those beautiful hands.

Levi watched as Mikasa's slender fingers made a fist and nodded up and down.

They both smiled.


	2. Underneath the Mistletoe

**A/N:** Secret Santa stocking stuffer piece! Christmas fluff everywhere!

This takes place years after their first meeting.

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><p>Even in the winter months, when freshly powdered snow blanketed the streets outside, and the subsequent chill made walking barefoot upon the hardwood floors of his small home near unbearable, Levi had always been an early riser. He had perfected the art of waking up – his internal clock quelling any use of annoying alarm clocks – and was always dressed for the day well before the sun kissed the horizon outside his bedroom window.<p>

Today was no different than any other day. Not really. Like clockwork, Levi dressed himself in black slacks and grey, long-sleeved shirt - an essential on his days off. After brushing his teeth and setting the timer to the house's dingy heater, he made his way to the kitchen and set his mug and tin of tea leaves beside the silver tea kettle heating water over the stove. However, in a break from his meticulous routine, Levi chose to bypass his morning paper, cross the living room still cloaked in early-morning darkness, and cracked open the sticker-covered bedroom door to the room of his two children.

Separated only by a single bookshelf, they were both sound asleep in their respective beds; the girl curled up under lavender-colored blankets, and the boy splayed out with legs tangled in sheets of blue.

"Damn kid's gonna kill himself," Levi muttered, pulling a long scarf from around the boy's hands and carefully folding it to rest beside his head in a small square.

He pulled the duvet over his tiny body and tucked him securely back in place before placing a soft kiss to his forehead. The boy grimaced at the touch of thin, dry lips on his skin and rolled over, pressing his face into his pillow as if to rub it away.

"Brat."

Levi then crossed the room to the girl's side, completely opposite from her younger brother in every sense, but loved all the same. He straightened out little glass figurines on her nightstand and, just as he had done to her brother, placed a soft kiss to the crown of her head. Instead of twisting away, a tiny hand reached out for her father, softly tugging on his sleeve.

"Daddy?" she whispered, sleepy purple eyes slowly blinking awake.

"Go back to bed." He soothed, rubbing his thumb along her cheek. "Santa won't come if he finds out you're awake."

She nodded slowly and burrowed further into the warmth of her blankets, allowing sleep to claim her once more. Levi padded carefully out of the room, closing the door with a soft click.

He expected the tea kettle to be whistling by now, but he was pleasantly surprised to find the stove turned off and a steaming mug of the dark liquid waiting for him in his wife's soft hands. He ignored the crumb-filled plate decorated with smiling reindeer and the half empty glass of milk beside her.

"You're going to set the house on fire," she chastised, handing him the mug with a kiss, "Happy birthday."

Levi gave her a soft chuckle and wrapped an arm around her waist, avoiding the greeting and instead directing her to sit at the kitchen table.

'How are you feeling?' he signed, after setting his cup on the table's wooden surface. His wrist movements had become more fluid after years of practice.

'Sleepy, sick, and swollen,' she gestured dramatically over her stomach with tired hands and grimaced. 'I can't believe I ate all those cookies.'

'You're eating for two again.' He soothed, knowing how much she disliked overindulging in sweets.

'I don't even like oatmeal.'

'At least you'll be shitting healthy.'

She slapped his hands away, 'Don't be gross!'

Levi caught one of her wrists and kissed her knuckles, relishing in the slight blush that action always seemed to have on her. She rubbed small circles over her stomach with her other hand, pausing momentarily and scrunching her face, causing Levi to fall into a slight panic.

"Mikasa?" he voiced, knowing she could see his lips move.

"Your daughter is practicing her kickboxing moves." She grumbled, letting the back of her head thump against her chair in exhaustion. "I don't know how much more of this I can take."

Wordlessly, he knelt before his wife, untied the loose knot holding her robe together, and lifted her hideous pink nightshirt over her rounded belly, exposing her skin to the cool morning air.

"Hey, Mitsuki," he spoke with his lips and hands pressed against her skin. Tiny hands and feet thumped against him in response. "Go easy on your mom or else no more sweets for you."

Slowly, the movements beneath his hands ceased, as if understanding his words.

"What did you tell her?" Mikasa asked, unable to see anything beyond the crown of his head and the tip of his nose still touching her exposed belly.

Levi looked up and entwined their fingers together, pulling her to stand with him.

'I asked what it would take for her to give you some peace.' he signed; a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Oh?" she laughed, "And, what did she tell you?"

'Dance with me.'

Mikasa was slightly taken aback before she accepted her husband's outstretched hand and allowed him to lead her to the living room where he plugged in the lights to their tiny Christmas tree. It wasn't large by any means - maybe four feet with the star adding a couple inches at the top - but it was mainly for the beguilement of their children. (They didn't need to know it was the smallest tree in the lot.) The small bulbs cast the dark room in a soft glow, painting the once grey walls in mixtures of red, green, and purple; neither lover noticing the break in light from the crack of a doorway in the corner of the room – or the two sets of eyes quietly watching the scene unfold.

Levi pointed up to a small sprig of mistletoe hanging in the corner of the room, right above Mikasa's head.

"You planned this." She accused, crossing her arms.

He shrugged, pulling her in for a kiss anyway.

'How did you manage to reach that high?' She asked, mentally comparing his height to their ceiling.

Levi, of course, was quick to catch onto that. 'I'm not that short, you know.'

'You used the mop handle, didn't you?'

'… The broom.'

Mikasa giggled. 'I'm not taking it down after the holidays.'

'Let the new owners worry about that.'

That instantly caught Mikasa's attention, "We got the house?"

Levi nodded and nearly fell over when his giddy wife practically jumped into his arms in excitement, covering his face in light kisses.

Soon after Mikasa had found out she was pregnant for a third time, panic began to set in once she realized a two bedroom home wasn't cut out for five people, especially when three of them were growing children. Levi had the foresight to find a good realtor, but with their incomes, finding a decent home would be tricky. Twice they had found a home within their budget, but those were quickly swept away by other buyers offering much more. Months passed, Mikasa's stomach slowly grew, Levi received a promotion, but even a larger budget couldn't find them a new home. It wasn't until a few weeks ago that they found a cozy two-story Tudor revival well within their means. Mikasa fell instantly in love, but Levi knew she wasn't going to get her hopes up, not when they both knew there were three other families after the same property. He didn't tell her they closed the escrow barely two days ago, instead deciding the announcement would be a Christmas gift of sorts.

The way Mikasa's entire face lit up told him it was a good decision.

"Are you sure it's what you want?" she asked after gaining her composure once more, searching his eyes for any sort of hesitance. She knew how much he valued his order and routine in their current home and wouldn't hesitate to pull the plug if he showed the slightest bit of reluctance. After years of dating and marriage, she knew he was forced out of his comfort zone time and time again, almost always blaming herself.

He was going to have none of that. Not today.

Without a word, Levi lightly flicked her forehead and pulled her close before taking her right hand in his and placing his other hand at her hip, engaging her in a slow, awkward, dance like two teenagers at prom. The small diamond embedded in the silver band on her ring finger sparkled in a myriad of colors against the lights as every slight movement made it sparkle all the more.

"I don't want a lot for Christmas," he sang softly, his voice deep and slow, "There is just one thing I need. Don't care about those presents underneath the Christmas tree…"

It was a rare thing for Levi to ask Mikasa to dance, let alone sing to her, but sometimes that was all he needed to do. Though she could never make out his words clearly, she knew the tune and pressed her body closer to his, resting her head on his shoulder and relaxing to the soothing vibrations of his voice. No one, not even their children, saw the same Levi she fell in love with.

"I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know. Make my wish come true… all I want for Christmas is you."

From behind a crack in the sticker covered door a few feet away, the two children watched their parents slowly rotate around the living room, wondering why they were awake when Santa still had yet to visit their house.

"What's daddy doing?" the younger of the two asked, his tiny hand grasping tightly to the doorknob, ready to spring away should the siblings suddenly be caught out of bed.

"He only does this around mom when no one is looking." His older sister whispered with purple eyes fixed on her parents.

"Santa's going to forget our house." He whispered dejectedly.

"No he won't." His sister said with fierce determination.

Both children jumped as they saw their father turn in their direction and scurried back to their beds, hiding under their bedcovers hoping they weren't seen.

Levi smirked when his attention was pulled away from his wife to the swaying door he shut only minutes ago. He was pulled back when he heard Mikasa grumble from the lack of movement on his part.

"Go back to bed." He eventually muttered against her ear (long after the song was finished) and kissed Mikasa on the lips once more before running his thumb over her tired eyes. "I'll take care of the presents this year and wake you when everything is ready."

"Our last Christmas here." She smiled, rubbing her belly.

Levi placed his palm over Mikasa's. "We'll need the room for this next one."

With one last kiss, he sent her off back to bed, unplugged the tree lights, and closed the door to the children's bedroom, a ghost of a smile on his lips as he saw the sun's first light illuminate the snow falling from outside their bedroom window.

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><p><strong>AN:** None of the chapters are in any particular order, so there will be many time jumps throughout this series.


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